Thursday, December 29, 2011

The cold month is here again as both Bela and Cobi have sniffles now. If only sweet get well gifts can do the trick and will wash away all their sickness….

My husband and I are actually sick too as we are both coughing like a dog. We went out last night to meet up with friends and the very next day, both Bela and Cobi have colds already.

I wish they will get well fast as it will be more polluted this coming weekend with the fire crackers and all to celebrate the New Year which I know will worsen their condition. That is why my siblings and I and our other cousins are trying to find a place where we can spend the night to welcome the new year just like what we always do every year (we are just a little late on the preparation this time, so I am hoping we can still find a nice place in Laguna or Tagaytay).

2011 has not been a very good year for us in terms of our health so I hope that 2012 will be different and we will all be healthy and free from sickness always.

I have no work last December 27 so it is a perfect timing that Globe scheduled for my iPhone pick up on that date. Hubby has work already but since I have no nanny at the moment, I asked Bela to tag along with me to SM Manila to pick up my phone.

Well she is a very good companion as she will never run out of stories to tell you and I know she will like it as we will be using the public transportation – jeepney, tricycle and LRT, to go to SM which is Bela’s favorite.

Of course, since Globe is very unreliable, the unit is still not with them when I arrived at the Globe Telecenter in SM Manila. They asked me to wait for a few hours as they have a pending delivery arriving within the day (and this means that the delivery will arrive anytime until 9 PM).

So pass time, Bela and I decided to eat first and as per Bela’s request we had merienda at McDo then she played in the Coin Funnel located just outside Globe’s office.

We went back after 1.5 hours but still the delivery hasn’t arrived yet. So I decided that we just go home as I don’t want to waste my time on the unreliable customer service that GLOBE is giving me.

But at least it turn out to be a date and QT with my princess which we haven’t done in a long while now.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Bela: “Mom, I miss the hotel where we went last time where there is a beach and a pool. What’s the name of the hotel again?”Me: “That’s Shangri-La in Cebu.”Bela: “Can we go back there again?”

My princess just loves the beach. My husband actually called me last time and is asking me to look for a flight going to Bohol for our anniversary / my birthday celebration. He said that it is his treat.

I sure miss the rustic decor in Bohol Beach Club, the relax atmosphere, the food, and the beach so I am really tempted to say yes to hubby’s offer but I did not give in right away.

Well ever since we bought our new house, I have been more frugal and I have to think several hundred times before making a purchase. So even if I found a good deal from PAL for their airfare, I decided not to go with it and just use the money for something else.

We will have more opportunity to travel. For the mean time, I wanted to secure first the monthly amortization of our house so we will be secure no matter what happens in the future.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Thanks to gap coupons, I will be able to shop for new clothes for Bela.

You see, ever since I changed her vitamins from Cherifer to Restor Big as recommended by my good friend, Kelly, Bela’s appetite increased. She will drink milk when she wakes up in the morning and will eat rice or cornflakes for breakfast. She goes to school at 11 AM and she will eat her lunch again before going to school.

Because of this, she has really gained weight and almost all her clothes are already too small for her. Hubby kept on reminding me to shop for new clothes for Bela as there is really not enough clothes left in her drawer that still fits her. But since my budget is always short, I have been postponing shopping for her.

That is why I got really excited upon finding the coupon from Gap so I can finally start updating Bela’s wardrobe.

It has been my tradition that I shop for new clothes for all of us so we will have something new to wear for Christmas and New Year. I started looking for nice dresses for Bela at the shops in Robinson’s Place as early as late November but it is either there is no size available for Bela or I can’t find anything nice for Bela from their available items.

So I knew that Baby Fashionistas will be my last resort if I really want to find a nice dress for Bela. And Baby Fahsionistas did not fail me as I was able to buy three nice outfits for Bela that she can wear for her Christmas Party, for Christmas Day and for New Year. Just look at Bela wearing the good finds that I grab from Baby Fashionistas.

I haven’t been to their store for months now and so I was not able to help myself and I even bought two pairs of nice shoes for Bela from their store as well. There is even one dress that I really like but I am really over my budget already. At least I have something to look forward to for our next visit at Baby Fashionistas.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Bela is excited to move in to her new room. It is just me who is stopping her from doing so as I feel that I am not ready to let her be on her own. For sure I will miss our small talks at night and I will miss cuddling her before we both fall asleep. So I think it will take some time before I let her move out from our room.

But if there is one thing I am excited about for having a separate room for Bela is the fact that I will be able to decorate and fix it.

The first thing that I would like to achieve is to organize the room and make it clutter free. This can be a very challenging task especially if a kid is staying in the room but it is possible by following some tips below:

1. Purchase containers and organizers so there is a designated place for everything. Assign one as a container for toys, stuff from school, dirty laundry, etc. Teach your kids that everything should always be in its designated container all the time to minimize clutter.2. If you don’t have enough space in the kid’s room, purchase Clothing Racks and Wooden Hangers and install it in one corner of the room where you can hang clothes and other stuff to create more storage space.3. Don’t be afraid to let go of old stuff that you think your kid no longer use. Bring out your plastic retail shopping bags and label them – “For donation to charity”, “For Storage” and for “Garage Sale” so you can start to de-clutter your kid’s room.

Hope these simple tips that I shared here can help other moms with kids like me to organize the room of their kids.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I have just finished writing about a product review for the best eyelash growth product and I still have a lot in my lineup for articles that I need to do tonight. But I know the mommy of Bela for the Kris Kringle is already waiting for her wish list so I have to take a break from work and write this blog post for Bela’s wish list.

We went to SM yesterday before her birthday dinner, as we have to take her to the toy store so she can choose her birthday gift. I brought her to the Little Pony section, which is one of her favorite toys and showed her the different items on sale. She actually like this one already for her birthday gift but I told her that we will just ask her mommy for the Kris Kringle to buy this for her:

So this is her one and only item in her wish list. This is currently on sale in any Toy Kingdom, Toys R’ Us and SM stores, just the right amount for our Kris Kringle budget.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I can’t help but feel sentimental every time I look at my princess Bela. Time flies so fast. I can still remember when I first hold her in my arms when I gave birth to her and now she is growing up to be a fine lady. Yes, a lady as she is no longer a baby at 6 years old. She has a mind of her own now especially when choosing the clothes and shoes that she will wear as if she is already a teenager.

But I guess there is no way that I can stop her for growing. Instead of feeling sad about it, maybe I should look forward then to the time when we will shop together for clothes, bags, shoes and even beauty products like the new lace front wigs.

It is still too early now but when the right time comes, I will not hesitate to recommend to her the online beauty supply outlet, LeeBeauty. This is where I get all my beauty products like my favorite real hair extensions and the skin and hair solutions that I always use like relaxers, moisturizers, facial care and more. Their products are all of good quality even if the price is so affordable so I am sure my daughter will love their online shop too when it is time for her to buy her beauty essentials.

Our dear daughter just turned 6 years old today and my husband and I realized that although she is growing up fast, she still has a long way to go and there are still a lot of things in store for her and we want that we will always be there to witness all of that.

And so we came to a realization that my husband and I should really learn how to take care of our health so we can live longer for our kids. Our first step is taking supplements like Acai Berry.

So what are the benefits of Acai Berry?

1. Do you need tips on How to lower cholesterol? Well acai berry can help you with that as is said to prevent heart diseases because it helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels which helps prevent heart attacks and other heart disease.2. Acai Berry also helps boost immune system so it helps fight infections and it gives the body energy to do more.3. Acai Berry also contains a lot of natural fat which can aid for those who want to lose weight.4. It is also rich in antioxidant which flushes out bad toxins from the body so it is said to help prevent colon cancer and other deadly diseases.5. Acai Berry also has anti ageing effects so you can have youthful skin if you continue to take acai berry.

You can easily enjoy the benefits of Acai Berry as it is available in many different forms like fruit juices. You can also enjoy the benefits of Acai Berry by taking Acai Berry supplements which you can buy from stores which sells vitamins and supplements like Krill Oil, Acai Berry and more from healthychoicenaturals.

Change in lifestyle and Supplements is what can help us live longer so we can be with our kids as they grow up and be successful in life.

Friday, November 11, 2011

It is less than 60 days to go before Christmas and I need to start to buy a gift for kids at christmas. Here are my list:1. My 20++ God Children2. Hubby’s God Children3. My cousins and nieces4. Hubby’s Nieces and nephews5. Bela’s classmates

I haven’t started on my Chirstmas shopping yet as our Christmas bonus, which I will use to shop for gifts, hasn’t been released yet. But I am already looking for cute personalized items that I can order from Personalcreations.com.

Just look at their cool items:

All of them are so cute that I can’t decide which one to get. But I am sure, no matter what I end up ordering, the kids will love these cute and very useful items from Personal Creations.

Last Sunday, we attended the joint celebration for the 7th Birthday of Sam and 2nd Birthday of Migo, kids of my good friend Jacqui. The theme of the party was Nick Jr Kids’ Choice Awards and kids were asked to come in their rock star/ hip hop / RNB attire and this was what Bela was wearing:

I got the shirt from Kids of Bayo, the necktie from SM, the stockings from Divisoria and the boots was an old one that I bought for her for her UN Day celebration in school. Her tita put rock star make up on her and we brought her toy guitar to complete the look and he was able to rock her costume as she was one of the kids who received a Best in Costume award.

The party was super fun with the good host, magician (or shall I say puppeteer) Wanlu, good entertainment provided by Jives and good food. Bela and her other friends enjoyed the party. They joined Jives on stage to perform and they won’t stop singing and dancing during the games and during Jives’ performance.

Now I am really convince that a rock star party is super fun so this will be the theme that Bela will be having too for her 7th birthday.

Thanks again Jacqui and Mike for inviting us. We really had super fun.

Monday, November 07, 2011

My daughter will be celebrating her 6th birthday this coming November 16. We initially have no plans to give her a party but parents can’t say no to their daughter’s request. So with a limited budget, I started my quest to plan for a 6th birthday party for my daughter.

I thought that it will be a big challenge at first but then I realized that with creativity and imagination, we could still give our daughter the party of her dreams.

Here are a few things that I learned on how to throw a party on a budget:

1. DIY. If you have a lot of creative minds in your family, tap their talents and ask for their help to create DIY items that you can use for the party. Here are some DIY party ideas:• Instead of ordering invitations from a printing company, make your own invitations. There are a lot of resources on the web to get birthday party invitation ideas and you can use this as a template to create your own invite.• Do not hire a professional to do the balloon decorations. Look for promo codes and vouchers and order your balloons online and search in You Tube for demos and videos on how to create simple balloon decorations.• Bake your own cake. If you know how to bake, why not make your child’s birthday cake as one of your major baking projects. Your kids will appreciate it more as it is your labor of love for them.2. Host the party in a venue that is free like a park, or a community center. That way you can bring your own food without corkage fee and you don’t have to pay for a rental fee for the venue.3. Set the timing of the party early in the afternoon so you don’t need to serve heavy meal.4. Do not hire professional host for the party. The Internet will be your best friend to search for games and activities that you can have during the party. You can search by theme and you will surely find a lot of suggested activities and games that will go well with your theme.

Birthday parties need not be expensive and always remember that the presence of family and friends during the celebration is more important to make the celebrant feel loved and special.

This is a guest post written by Melissa who works for You Love Coupons, where she writes articles about different diet programs like weight watchers and ediets. Her last project was an article about weight watchers code and ediets code.

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Before I look for Janitor Jobs to help my friend, let me make a post here first about Bela and Cobi’s Trick or Treat experience last October 30 at Boni High Street.

I was happy that hubby decided to leave for Bicol on the 31st instead of during the weekend as what he did last year, which is why we were not able to attend any Trick or Treat event last year. So when I learned that we have the weekend to attend ToT events, I started looking for events in hotels and malls that we can attend.

Most of the events at the mall were finished already and so I have no options left but to avail of the buffet lunch in the hotel to attend their ToT event. Thankfully, my good friend Mai told me about the event in Boni High Street and we only need to have P500 purchase from any of the Boni High Street merchants to join their ToT event.

So we were at Boni High early (around 1:30 PM) so we can do some shopping first and as expected we went Hobbes and Landes, Bela & hubby’s favorite store. When we were done shopping, people are starting to line up already even if it is only 2 PM and registration won’t start until 3 PM. So we lined up as soon as we saw the queue.

It actually started to rain while we were in line that hubby wants to go home already but of course we stayed, as that is what the kids wanted. After waiting for an hour, we were finally able to register and get our loots. Bela and Cobi got lots of loots from the registration booth alone.

We then went around the different participating stores where the kids got more treats and candies. Bela had so much fun.

After trick or treating, we met up with Jacqui and her kids to have snack at Friday’s.

We were finally able to find the time to go to 168 to have Bela’s invitation printed. She had a pictorial with her dad one Saturday with the somewhat pirate attire that I bought for her. I was actually not that happy with the pictures yet but they were not able to have anther pictorial session so we just choose from her first batch of pictures.

We went to the same store where we ordered Cobi’s invitation and this is their end product:

I love it. This is the first time that they made an invitation with this theme and so I was really impressed with the output.

If I were to ask, I just like the plain invitation rather than the 2D version as I am reserving the 2D version for her 7th birthday party, but the manager (aka the hubby) likes the 2D version for her princess and so I did not argue. LOL.

But Bela is just so happy with her invite and she can’t wait to give it out to her classmates when she returns to school on Tuesday.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

My kids love watching television especially Bela. Ever since she was months old, she’s very interested with educational movies and I really think that it became very helpful to her because that’s where she was able to enhance her deep vocabulary.

Before, Bela is fond of watching Disney Junior but now, she enjoys educational channel from our digital antenna just like Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel most likely if it’s about her favorite animals. You can see her very focused and scrutinizing every detail that she can hear about animals and you can definitely see her eagerness to learn that at times, you’ll be surprised as she will give you trivia that you’re somehow not familiar to.

Day by day, I’m getting prouder and prouder of my daughter. I am very confident that she’ll do well specifically with her academics. It’s really a good thing that you should monitor all the activities that your kids are engaged to because these will reflect in their performance as they grow.

Friday, October 21, 2011

When Bela was 3 years old, we bought her the 5 Piece Room-in-a-box set, which contains a bed, a toy organizer, and tables and chairs. Now that Bela is already turning 6, she has already outgrown her Disney Princess Toddler bed and so the bed is too small for her already.

Now that she has her own room after we moved to our new home, hubby and I are thinking of getting her a regular bed instead of the usual toddler bed so she will be able to use it longer.

Currently, Bela co-sleeps with us but she is already excited to move to her own room. In fact she has been helping me choose the stuff that we need for her new room like the wall decals, the lamps, and bedding.

Thankfully it is very easy to shop as we can just check online and we both love the Luxury Bedding from The White Company. They have a wide range of options for bedding so I am sure Bela will be able to find one that she likes.

I am actually not ready to let go of my daughter and let her stay in her own room but I guess this will be a good way to train her to be independent.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Last Saturday was the distribution of cards at Bela’s school. Howell attended a seminar so I was the only one who met with Bela’s teacher to discuss her progress in school and to get her card.

I actually know from some of my mommy friends who have daughters in Sr. Prep that they are already using the numerical grading system for the Prep so I was actually excited to see Bela’s progress. And I am so proud and happy after seeing her grades as she really did good.

She only needs more practice for Writing but I actually expected this as I know from the beginning that Writing is her weakness. But according to Mrs. Del Rosario, she can see that Bela is really trying.

Next week will be the United Nations celebration in Bela’s school. Just look at her picture last year when she was still in Junior Prep:

This year, they will be representing the country USA and they were asked to dress as a cowgirl. Good thing Bela has jeans skirt and checkered polo shirt already so I just bought boots and cowboy hat for her.

I attended the meeting at school last October 18 to discuss the UN celebration and they will be having a performance on October 24 (so I better make sure that my sony handycam is ready) and then they will have a Country Fair on October 26 where we will set up Game booths for the kids and a food fair where parents will be bringing food for everybody to share.

On October 27, they will have Peace Treats which is their version of Trick or Treat. Parents are also welcome to attend this activity where kids will go around different offices to get their treats and parents will have a booth where they can also distribute treats to the kids.

I am sure all the Prep students will have fun in the activities lined up for them this October.

The other night, I had another scare of my life when I saw Bela running and crying and she was holding her arm and kept on saying awie, awie.

Since she has been doing gymnastics, she got so obsessed in doing the cart wheel right that she practice all the time even when at home. I kept on reminding her to do it only when she is at the gym with her coach, but Bela easily gets excited and she just loves gymnastics that she sometimes forget even if I remind her. Her nanny was also not with her as her nanny was attending to something in the kitchen (this is one of the reasons why we wanted to install surveillance cameras at home. Aside from the safety of our kids, we will also be able to monitor how our nannies take care of our kids. Not that I blame my nanny because I know how active and playful Bela is).

When I checked Bela’s left arm, it was a bit swollen already and so we did a cold compress. Just to give me a peace of mind, we still rushed her to the Emergency room where she had an X-ray and an Ortho checked on her also.

Thankfully they did not see any fracture. I just hope and pray that nothing like this will ever happen again.

Finally, I was able to book already the suppliers that I will need for Bela’s birthday party at Hospicio de San Jose.

We celebrate Bela’s party at Hospicio de San Jose every year but we don’t invite our friends. We go there with our immediate family only and I just order food from Jollibee and bring a magician or host and mascots to entertain the kids.

For Bela’s 6th birthday, we will still have our usual party at Hospicio de San Jose but this time, we will invite her classmates and teachers also to join us. It was only this month that I was able to book the suppliers as I still don’t have the budget yet to pay for the down payment.

But God is really good as I was able to get the money that I was expecting last week and so I was able to finalize my reservation for:

1. Caterer: Princess Delan’s – Instead of ordering food from Jollibee, I decided to get a caterer since I called Hospicio and they don’t have enough tables and chairs for all my guests (I will have 50 kids and about 10 adults from Hospicio and I will have 50 adults and 30 kids from our relatives and Bela’s friends). Thankfully I was able to find a caterer that can work on my budget.2. Souvenirs: Wooden Kiddie Stools by Jen Gana – I saw their mini baskets and the price is just fit for my budget. I was hesitant at first to order the baskets for the boys but hubby suggested that I asked for the shape to be change to the tool kit of Handy Manny so they can use it to put their toys and other stuff. I can’t wait to see how the mini baskets and tool kit will turn out with the characters from Jake and the Neverland Pirates show as the design.3. Magician. I am very thankful that Angelette of Jelly Bellies was still able to get me a magician for Bela’s party even if I booked less than 2 months before the party. I am actually not familiar with Bumpy the magician but I trust Angelette’s judgment and Bumpy is highly recommended by her. And for sure, no matter who the magician is, kids will surely have fun as they are very easy to please.4. Pirate Costume: Since Halloween is near, there are a lot of costumes being sold at SM. Last week, we were able to find a pirate costume for Bela and Cobi that they can wear for the pictorial for the invitation.5. Invitation: Hubby will have a pictorial with Bela this weekend and hopefully we can order the invitation this weekend of next weekend.

Friday, September 30, 2011

I was so surprised when I went to Bela’s school to pay for her tuition fee because it is only now that I found out that I can use my citibank credit cards to pay for her tuition fee.

Well using my credit card to pay for her tuition fee has a lot of advantages:

1. Instead of paying right away for the tuition, I can use the cash that I have for other important things like pay for the electricity bills, shop for our grocery supplies and more as I still have more than a month before my credit cards are due.2. I can also avail of the best credit card deals like I can earn bonus points, mileage, freebies and more if I use my card.3. If I don’t have the money to pay for Bela’s tuition in full, I can use my credit card to pay for it and apply for deferred payment so I can pay for Bela’s tuition fee in small monthly installments which will be easier for us financially.

Now I am happy that I go though the whole credit card application as I was able to make good use of my credit card instead of just using it all the time for shopping. LOL.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The cost of health insurance is a great concern for every people. Buying a health insurance for your child is very important, as your child has a high risk of getting injured while they are playing or doing their daily activities. Try to follow some key information that will help you buy a suitable child health insurance policy at an affordable rate.

Tips to buy an affordable child health insurance policy

Read on to know the tips and tricks to buy a suitable child health insurance policy at an affordable rate.

Include your infant in your health insurance coverage:

You should know that you‚Äôre unable to buy a health insurance for your child before your baby is born. When you‚Äôll buy a health insurance policy for yourself, you should check whether or not it will cover your new born baby for one month along with you. This additional month of coverage will provide you with enough time to search carefully an affordable child health insurance plan that will suit the needs of your new born baby.

Know the exact time to buy the insurance:

The monthly premium rates of your child health insurance policy will be higher till your baby is one year old. Hence, before you renew your child health insurance plans, you‚Äôve to make sure that your child is over one year old. Suppose, if your child is born on 10th February and you purchase a health insurance policy for him/her on 25th February, then his/her health insurance anniversary month is February. You‚Äôve to renew the policy on 1st February when your child will be few days less than one year and pay the same high monthly premiums for another consecutive year. You can avoid paying such higher premiums if you buy the suitable health insurance policy after one month of your child‚Äôs birth.

Try to get checkup at regular intervals:

Like a good mother, you should plan a proper health care schedule for your baby at its tender age. Try to contact a good pediatrician and visit him for regular check-ups of your baby. Try to select a health insurance policy that will cover the cost of the vaccines prescribed by the pediatric required to immune your baby.

Select a high deductible:

Try to select a plan that has a high deductible for brand name prescription drug. This will help you save money when your baby will require such costly brand name prescribed medications.

Opt for government‚Äôs child health insurance plan:

If you‚Äôre too poor to afford health insurance for your child, then you can opt for some health insurance plans provided by the government. This will cover the cost of minor diseases and few vaccines required for your new born.

It is advisable to every mother that you should buy health insurance for your child as he/she is prone to many diseases at his/her tender age. Before you buy it, you should check every terms and conditions on the policy that you‚Äôll choose for your infant. Try to follow the above mentioned tips that will ensure your baby‚Äôs health at an affordable rate.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I just love weekends as I get to spend time with my husband and my kids. Every Saturday is Bela’s day as I accompany her to her gymnastics class and then we go malling after with Cobi.

Since she is trying out Kumon Math for two weeks, we have to go to the Kumon Center near her school every Saturday after her gymnastics class (hubby should reward me with Asus Tablet PC so I have some toy to play with as I wait for two hours for her gymnastics class and another hour for Kumon. LOL).

This will be our routine at least for two weeks and after her trial session in Kumon, I will request her to be transferred to the Wednesday and Friday schedule so our Saturday afternoon will be free again for malling.

It will be a very busy Saturday for me this coming weekend, as I have a meeting with the PTA in the morning and then it is gymnastics time for Bela. Hubby will be working overtime and will cover an event in the afternoon so Bela and I might go on a girl bonding on Saturday.

Since we all got sick the whole month of August, Bela was only able to attend her gymnastics class for just one session. Bela was really sad every time we tell her that she can’t come to class as nobody can accompany her because we have to alternate in taking care of each other, as there is always one sickie among us.

But thankfully she has been attending gymnastics class again for two consecutive Saturdays now and I can just see the happiness in her face every time she is in class.

Just look at this picture of Bela that I took last week:

She actually is still scared in trying this trick but since she has a lot of classmates of her age last week who are encouraging her, she was able to try it several times.

She was also very happy last week as Kellie, her former classmates from St. Scholastica, was in the same class as her so she was really excited to know somebody in the class.

Bela did good in her Kumon Achievement Test in Reading. Just look at her test score:

98/100, which means she passed Level 4A in flying colors and she is now ready to move to Level 3A. I spoke with Teacher Grace, the director of the center, and I was informed that she will be using Prep Level material by November and come February 2012, she will be moving up to the next level and she will be using Grade 1 level material which means she will be a few months advance to prepare her before she moves to Grade 1 come June 2012.

Hubby and I are so proud of her. If only we have an RV with 5th wheel insurance, we would have rewarded her with a road trip that she has been requesting for a long time now.

The reason why we enrolled her in Kumon is to develop her writing skills, as this is one area where she is having difficulty. And just after a few months with Kumon, she writes legibly now compared to when she started and she can now read. That is why she spends a couple of hours at night reading her favorite books, as she is excited because she can already read on her own.

She is currently trying out Kumon Month starting last Saturday and I think we will enroll her too in this program when her trial session ends next Wednesday.

Thursday, September 01, 2011

After we moved to the new house, the kids now have their own room, which gives them a lot of space to put their stuff (aka their toys). The kids have accumulated a lot of toys over the years and so hubby asked the nannies to sort them out and arrange them in their respective cabinets.

After arranging all their stuff, hubby discovered that the kids have a lot of nice educational toys that they were not to play with because it no longer has a battery and so hubby’s quest to find a battery store started.

Thankfully he discovered Batterymart.com where we can get discount batteries. They sell all kinds of batteries from TV batteries, cell phone batteries, laptop batteries, motorcycle batteries, power tool batteries, portable DVD batteries and many more. What is best about this store is that they offer very affordable price for their batteries without sacrificing the quality, so we will be guaranteed that the batteries that we will buy from them for the kids’ toys will really last.

Hubby was really glad to have discovered Batterymart.com where we can buy batteries so the kids can enjoy playing with their great educational toys instead of letting it rot in storage.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Yippee, finally I was able to book something for Bela’s 6th birthday party. It is just two months away but since we are only having a simple party since we are working on a limited budget, I haven’t really started booking my suppliers yet.

It is definite already that the party will be held at Hospicio de San Jose and we will just invite our immediate relatives and Bela’s classmates. I want to book for a magician but I yet have to see if I can still get a good one since I only have two months left before the party.

But thanks to the promo from Cash Cash Pinoy, I was able to book a Photo Booth for the party at 50% off. I noticed how the kids loves posing and having their pictures taken so I know that a photo booth will surely be a big hit for the kids. And I am sure they will be happy as they can bring their photos home.

I definitely have to finalize my other suppliers soon like the 3D Me Souvenir that I like and the other suppliers that I need from Jelly Bellies like the inflatable and food carts.

Monday, August 29, 2011

We just moved in today in our new home. The house is still a mess as we just unloaded the boxes from the moving truck and nothing has been removed from the boxes yet.

Good thing it is still a holiday tomorrow so Howell will have one whole day to at least unpack and sort everything.

Being a little OC, Bela was having a hard time sleeping on our first night here at our new home. She was looking for her dolphin pillow, her quilt and the aircon in our room, which hasn’t been installed yet. LOL.

She already saw her room and she got all excited when she saw her bed inside her room and she told me awhile ago that she is now ready to sleep in her own room. I am sure hubby will be excited too to decorate Bela’s room. Hubby was able to collect some of Bela’s artworks, which we can hang in on area of her wall as what we have now in our old house. If only we have a document imaging software, then we would have been able to save all of Bela’s artworks since she first learn how to hold a crayon. But at least we were able to save a major part of it.

I am not sure what we will be able to finish tomorrow but I hope all the junk will be thrown away and whatever will be left in our new home are the essentials and the things that we would be needing.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

So you have been planning for a getaway for your family. You wanted this to be the most perfect vacation that will leave lasting memories. But this travel adventure can be exciting or frustrating depending on how well you planned for this trip.

So to make sure that this will be the most perfect vacation that your family will surely enjoy, here are some tips for successful travel:

1. Destination. The first thing that you need to consider is your travel destination. Would you want to enjoy the beach and go to a resort or do you prefer to go to a theme park with your kids? In deciding, take into consideration the interest of your companion, their personality, their fitness and health condition (which is important if you are planning to go trekking or other physically strenuous activity), the time and the budget that you want to allot for this trip.

To search for your destination spot, the Internet will be your number one companion as everything is just a Google away. You can also ask around from your friends and family who have first hand experiences of their recommended destinations. You can also contact travel agencies to checkout their travel packages as it will sometimes come out to be cheaper than a DIY itinerary.

2. Method of Travel. Once you decide on your destination, you need to look for methods of travel. If it will be a long distance travel, will it be more convenient if you take a plane than a bus or train. Though travel by plane can be a bit expensive as compared to traveling by land. Again, Internet can be your best tool for searching for your mode of transport. All airlines, bus and train companies now have their own website where you can check the schedule and the rate so you can easily compare prices and decide which method of transport will you be using for this trip.

3. Travel Documents. Check that you passport still has 6 months validity on the date of your trip. Some countries also require visa so you may also want to check a few months in advance if you will need to get a visa.

4. Accommodation. Book your accommodation well in advance. This will not only save you money as hotel accommodations are cheaper for advance booking, but this will also avoid the hassle of looking for a place to stay when you reach your vacation spot. There are a lot of online booking sites, which ranges in accommodation types from 5 star, 4 star hotel and even hostels. Read the feedback left by the guests so you can get an idea on the kind of service that hotel can offer.

5. Research. Make sure that you do your research about your place of destination. Take note of the currency, the culture, hospitals, currency, entertainment, places to visit, food and more. This will save you time and energy and will give you the confidence that you got the information that you need as you are in a foreign place.

6. Health. Check to see if you need to get some vaccination and make sure that the medication that you will be bringing is allowed in your country of destination. If you also experience motion sickness, try checking out the site of Biobands as they have motion sickness bands that are safe to use to help you feel relieve from any motion sickness that you may feel as you travel.

Following the tips mentioned above will guarantee a fun and stress free vacation for you and your family. So have fun, travel safe and bring home lots of memories.

3 of 4 of the Photo Books that I have ordered from Artscow arrived already in my friend’s house. I think it only took them 2 weeks to ship my items, the fastest that I have experienced from them.

It would have been complete already but the first shipment was missing the 3rd Birthday Party Photobook that I ordered. I already informed them about it and they already shipped the 3rd Photo Book that I am missing and hopefully it will arrive next week.

I can’t wait to see the complete birthday album of Bela. Finally after 5 years, I was able to turn into Photo Books Bela’s birthday party pictures (just in time before her 6th birthday party. LOL).

I have one pending album ready to be ordered in Artscow which is our HK 2007 pictures and I am currently working on our HK 2008 album. This Photo Books from Artscow is really addicting. Well for their price of $10 for 30 page photobook, who can say no.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

It is already three months away before bela’s birthday and I still haven’t finalized anything yet. But I think I am 100% sure now that we will have the celebration at Hospicio de San Jose. We always celebrate here every year and we do not want to miss our tradition for this year and since budget is tight, hubby suggested that we just have one celebration at Hospicio instead of having a separate party for our friends and Bela’s classmates.

It will just be a simple party as all Bela requested was to have a Jake and the Neverland Pirate party and she is willing to have it in Hospicio as she according to her, she wanted the kids there to have fun on her party and receive gifts too as we will be asking for donations from our guests in lieu of gifts for Bela.

Here is a run down of my plans:

• I am thinking of getting an inflatable so kids can play during and after the party
• I will ask my cousin to make an AVP and rent lcd dlp projector to play the AVP
• I will get iStickers or 3D Dolls as souvenir for our guests and the kids at Hospicio
• I will book Jollibee to provide food for the party
• I want to get two food carts also – cotton candy and ice cream
• And if I will have extra budget, I want to book a photo booth so kids can have souvenir of the event

I know I should start finalizing the details of the party but I am still waiting for my manager to give me the budget for this party. LOL.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

I love sweets. Good thing Bela is like her dad who has some aversion when it comes to sweet food. But I think it is a good thing as it will spare me from worrying about her health because I have a friend who is suffering from diabetes and I have seen how difficult it is for her to have this disease.

Another thing that added to my friend's worry is the medicine called Actos which she has been taking. Actos, which has been sold under the names ActoplusMet, Competact and Duetact, is an oral medicine for Type 2 diabetes patients and has been proven to increase the risk of heart attacks and heart failures. It has also been pulled out from the market in France and Germany because it has also been proven to cause bladder cancer.

But on a positive note, victims of Actos can still get justice and file for Actos lawsuit with the help of lawyers from O’Hanlon, McCollum & Demerath. The lawyers from O’Hanlon, McCollum & Demerath knows the ins and outs when it comes to product liability claims so they know the best plan of attack to get a just claim for the victims.

A few weeks ago, Artscow had a promo where they offered their 30 pages Photo Book for only $10 and it even comes with free shipping. I saw the photo books that my friend had created and ordered from Artscow and thankfully, I got inspired and found the mojo to create Photo Books for Bela’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th birthday party.

I am really happy and I was so inspired that I was able to do one photo book per day just in time for the deadline of Artscow promo. Thanks to the Album Template of Ate Jen who made my life so easy because all I have to do is upload the pictures and just drag and drop them to the template (no wonder I was able to work that fast. LOL).

Now I have no more backlogs for Bela’s party pictures and my next project are our travel pictures.

Monday, August 08, 2011

Parents often find themselves in a dilemma when it comes to teaching their kids about financial responsibility. Is there really the right age on when to introduce the concept of money, spending and saving? Where do you start? These and other questions often linger on a parent’s mind.

Kids of today are smart and you don’t need to baby talk them but rather treat them as young adults. While teaching about financial responsibility seems like a hard task, it could actually be fun and easy if you use some tricks. First thing that you have to remember is that you are dealing with kids and what you need are simple, basic concepts that they could easily understand.

At a young age, teach your kids about the value of saving money. One way to do it is by giving them a weekly allowance. As much as possible, avoid buying everything for your children. If they got their sight on a small toy, let them know that they can buy it if they save enough money. Limit their purchases and explain to them why they could have one item bought at the candy store or toy store.

Make the learning interesting by teaching them how to pay for their own purchases. Line up at the register and let them hand out their money to the cashier. These small things could teach them about the value of money in a fun and easy way.

Amy is a freelance content writer is also fond of traveling and outdoor adventures. She enjoys working for gulvafslibning projects and sees this as an opportunity to share information about floor sanding.

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Last week Bela got sick and she had a very high fever. I took a leave from work and hubby too so we can bring him to his doctor. Thankfully, she was well the next day but I just ask her to stay at home and skip school to be sure that she has already fully recovered.

Unfortunately after a week, Bela got sick again. The sad thing is all of us got sick too – me, my mom, yaya, and my dad. Thankfully my sister took a leave from work to take care of the kids, as I was really feeling so weak that I can’t even get out of bed.

So as my way of thanking her, I am planning to check the website of Red Envelope. Red Envelope is a site where you can order gift baskets delivered to your door. Just look at the items from this store that I am checking out as our gift for my sister:

She loves sweets so I am sure she will love and appreciate these sweet gift baskets from us.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

As what I mentioned in my previous post, I have been thinking on how we can celebrate Bela’s 6th birthday. Hubby and I were able to sit down and talk about it today and Bela agreed too with our plans.

I have spoke with Ms. Amie, our contact from Hospicio de San Jose and she already reserved the slot on November 19 for Bela’s party. She said that it is okay to invite our family and friends and Bela’s classmates too and we might have the party at the gym so there is enough space for the kids of Hospicio and our guests.

If budget permits (which is quite uncertain for now as I feel that I have been a victim of electronic pickpocketing because my wallet and bank account is drained up to the last drop. LOL), we will get a host-magician to entertain the kids. I already inquired with Angelette and she gave me a quote for a good and affordable magician.

For the food, I will get ice cream and cotton candy food carts and Jollibee or McDo for the food.

I have also inquired with 3D Me and I am planning to get their 3D Me Doll package for 80 kids and this will serve as our souvenir.

Instead of gifts, we will ask our guests to bring any kind of donations for the kids of Hospicio and Bela love this idea and she even said that it is good so she will have presents for the kids too.

Now I am pumped again and I can’t wait to start planning full blast for Bela’s 6th birthday party.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Yay, it is July already and I haven’t made any plans for Bela’s 6th birthday. This is so not me as I always plan in advance. The past years, by June, everything is booked already and all I need to do a month before her party is just make the invitations.

But for her 6th, hubby and I still hasn’t decided yet what to do for her party. Bela actually want to have a party (after her brother’s big first birthday party a few weeks ago) so I really have to think of a cost effective plan to grant Bela’s wish.

So far, here are our options:

1. Party at Hospicio de San Jose with our relatives and Bela’s classmates. Every year, we have a separate party with the kids at Hospicio de San Jose aside from the party that we have with our friends and relatives. But hubby is suggesting that for this year, why not have one party in Hospicio and we will just invite our friends and family there including Bela’s classmates. The only problem here is I am not sure up to how many guests will Hospicio allow to enter for the party.2. Simple party at Shakey’s with relatives and Bela’s classmates.3. Simple party at McDonald’s with relatives and Bela’s classmates.4. Party at SM Storyland with relatives and Bela’s classmates. I made a pencil booking already for Nov 19, which I can confirm until October 19 but this is over my budget already so I think this has to be scrapped from my list.

Howell will be coming back from Baguio this coming Tuesday and we better discuss and finalize this soon so I can start booking the party suppliers already before I run out of time.

Yup, Bela received her first real punishment last week. She has been so cranky lately, after our trip to Bicol that she will throw tantrums if she did not get what she wants, or she will pretend that she doesn’t hear us if we want her to do something or if we want to talk to her.

Just last week, we were having a hard time making her sit down and eat, do her assignment and make her stop from doing her new nasty habit of licking her lips. So I got so tired of our everyday routine of quarrelling and bargaining with her that I told her that she is grounded and she will not have any access to TV, her iTouch or even go to malls for a week.

She cried at first but then I still did not give in and so she was able to accept her punishment. It is her third day already and she manages without TV and her iTouch and she is so conscious with her actions as she wants to make sure that she is being a good girl. Just like today, after her gymnastics class, we went to McDo for snacks and she asked me if she can play in the indoor play area beside McDo but I reminded her that she is still grounded and she can have her chance to play next week if I lift her punishment once I observe that she already learned her lesson. And she did not push her luck and just accepted what I told her.

Bela is a very picky eater. I don’t know if I should blame it on the bottled foods that I gave her when she was still a baby or she really just doesn’t want to eat.

She only likes to eat hotdogs, nuggets, chicken, and egg (that is why I am thinking to buy electric grill as at least grilled is a healthier option than fried). For snacks, she only eats cookies, yakult and juice.

When I introduce her to new food like Yogurt or fruits and vegetables, she easily gags that she will just spit out whatever we put in her mouth. This is the reason why up to now, I still let her drink her milk as this is her only source of vitamins.

Now I worry if she goes to school the whole day already. She still doesn’t eat on her own so how can she survive the whole day without eating.

For moms with kids who are picky eater like my Bela, do you have any suggestions?

Last June 30 was the first death anniversary of my mother-in-law and so we went to Bicol to commemorate Mama. This is the second time that Bela has visited the hometown of her dad. The first time we were in Bicol, we went to the house of my father-in-law’s sister, which is just in front of the beach, and so Bela and her cousins were able to take a dip. So when we were in Bicol again last week, I know that Bela will not miss a trip at the beach. So on our second day, they scheduled a trip at Rizal Beach.

Rizal Beach is more than an hour drive from hubby’s house in Abuyog and so Bela was so giddy with anticipation already so she hit the water as soon as we arrive. She was later joined by Cobi and her dad and her cousins and with hubby’s other relatives.

I did not bring any beach toys for Bela and so they just played with her cousin’s metal cars, which unfortunately were swept away by the waves. Bela’s cousin cried buckets over this toy. If only we have metal detectors garrett, then maybe there is a better chance of finding the toy and it would have saved the tears of Bela’s cousin, Gelo. LOL.

After an hour of swimming and building sand castles, we called it a day (as the sun is setting already) and then we head back home for dinner.

Even though it was just a short trip at the beach, Bela and Cobi still had so much fun.

As what I published in my previous entry, Bela is now enrolled in the Gymnastics class at Rizal Coliseum and I can say that she really had a blast on her first day.

Bela is under Coach Roland and the class started with a warm up exercise. Just look at Bela in this video. They were just doing simple running, skipping and hoping routine and look at how she is having fun already.

After the warm up, they did some exercise in the bar and I was so surprised at how strong she can be that she was able to hold on to the bar for 10 counts as she stretches her leg.

They also did some tumbling and cart wheel.

After class I spoke with Coach Roland and he told me that Bela really enjoyed the class. I thought that she would be all tired already after her 2-hour class but she even managed to play in the trampoline.

Hubby and I wants to enroll her 2x a week so she can advance fast and to keep the momentum going but the grand parents are already saying no against it. But we will see. I told coach that I will observe first for the first month and then I will decide if she will stay in the once a week class or not.

If only I have engaged into sports like gymnastics when I was a kid, then I wouldn’t have a need for diet pills that work now just to help me get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. LOL.

But I am glad Bela is so much into sports just like her dad. Today was her first day in Gymnastics. She actually asked me to enroll her to Gymnastics before the schools ends but I told her that she should finish her ballet class first and then when school opens for SY 2011-2012, then it is up to her to decide if she wants to continue ballet or switch to Gymnastics. And just as I expected, she is really firm with her decision when I asked her again and she chose Gymnastics over ballet.

The Gymnastics club in St. Scholastica already had their first meeting last Saturday but since we were in Bicol, we were not able to attend. So I already talked to the Coach of Gymnastics and I got the go signal that Bela can still enroll and have her measurements taken for her uniform today.

We were already near Gate 1 when she asked me what are we doing in St. Scholastica as she wants to be enrolled in the same Gymnastics school as Kellie’s (her former classmate) and not in St. Scholastica. So I called Kellie’s mom who gave me their contact person in Rizal Coliseum and after trying it out for a few rounds, Bela got really excited that she wants me to enroll her that day so she can start with her first class.

So now she is enrolled in the Gymnastics class at Rizal Coliseum every Saturday, from 1-3 PM under Coach Roland.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Bela: “Dad look, you will be so proud of me. I can now write in 3 lines only”

(I know where this is leading to and she will ask us to get her a little prize. LOL. Good thing I will buy coogi clothes for hubby so I will be able to drop by Toys R’ Us too to get her a little something.)

Writing is one of the areas that need improvement for Bela. I even enrolled her to summer classes and Kumon to help her with her writing. When she was in Jr. Prep, their teacher will ask them to copy the reminders on the board in their assignment notebook. The lines in the notebook that they are using is quite narrow compared to the writing notebook that Bela was used to when she was in Nursery so when she writes, she occupies 6 lines and even more and it is all over the place. LOL.

So when I saw that she could copy well the reminders on the board already, I was one proud mom.

Last June 14 was the first day of school of Bela. She was excited, as she has long been telling us how much she misses her classmates. I brought her to school, as I want to see who her new teacher is and who are her classmates.

There were only 2 sections when they were still in Jr. Prep and now there are 4 sections for Sr. Prep so the 2 JR. Prep sections were spread out among the 4 sections. And so Bela end up with only 4 of her former classmates. I was glad too that the daughter of two of my co-parent from last year is in Bela’s class too.

Parents were still allowed to go inside the school on the first week. I was looking through the window of Bela’s classroom and looks like she is comfortable and at ease to be back to school again. Although she told me that she cried for a short time on the first day when we were asked to get out of the room. I hope that she will have as much fun as she have when she was still in Jr. Prep.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Hubby discovered a gadget that has been introduced to him by our friend when we visited them in Toronto last month. It is called O Play and what it does is that you can connect an external hard disk containing movies to a TV and you can view and play those movies in the TV.

We have a lot of movies which hubby and I downloaded so this gadget is perfect for us. Bela will be able to put this gadget to good use as she loves to watch also and we already have a compilation in our external hard disk of movies that Bela loves.

This gave us an idea to purchase a digital tuner so we can use the old TV that we have so we can get a chance to watch our favorite shows which we will be able to do since Bela will be so busy watching all the movies that we have for her on our 1 Tera Byte external Hard Disk. LOL.

Hubby already checked it online and it is just affordable and it even comes with free shipping so we will definitely get this gadget so both Bela and us, can enjoy watching our favorite movies and TV again.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day and we will be visiting Bela’s grand father (the father of hubby) to celebrate with him as this is the first Father’s Day where mama is not with us.

We were not able to visit papa when we arrived two weeks ago as hubby was still away and is attending training in the US so tomorrow will be the first time that we will see Papa after our long vacation in the US.

We have no plans yet on how we will celebrate Father’s Day but I already bought gift baskets which contains sugar free candy for my father-in-law as our Father’s Day gift for him.

I am sure he misses Bela and Cobi so much so with or without any big celebration, my father-in-law will be very happy if we pay him a visit. So our itinerary tomorrow will depend on what time we will be able to wake up (which I am sure might be a little late already since it is bed weather) so I guess anything goes for tomorrow’s Father’s Day celebration.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Every time my friends talk about makeup, I am always clueless. That is why I am wondering if I will be able to give Bela guidance when it comes to this arena. LOL.

That is why I got really interested and I started checking out Chattanooga beauty school, when I learned about Regency Beauty Institute. Chattanooga beauty school is one of the branches of Regency Beauty Institute and this school is very popular for giving good training in the fashion and beauty field to all their students.

What sets them apart from other beauty schools is that their campuses are like upscale salons, thus giving their students a great venue for their hands-on training.

I am sure I will learn a lot about make-up and fashion if I enrol in any of their courses so this is something that I can really consider doing someday. So when the time comes that Bela is already a teenager, I will no longer be clueless when we talk about make up and fashion and this is one of the passion that we can share together as mom and daughter.This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 2288 Gunbarrel Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421

Bela is requesting to visit the Bird Park, Singapore Zoo and to ride the Madagascar Ride in Universal Studios in Singapore for her birthday. Hmm….

The daddy is saying yes while I on the other hand is sceptical if we can afford another out-of the country travel this year. Hubby was saying that it is doable if we will not have a party for Bela on her 6th.

No Party? I think that is a good idea. I am just not sure if Bela will agree with her dad especially since Cobi will have a big party to celebrate his first birthday this year and Bela might request a party too. LOL.

But one thing is for sure. We just have to choose one – travel or party. As we have tons of bills to pay this year and so we have to set our priorities.

Did you know that Bela’s instructor from Kumon asked her to bring 30 worksheets with her on our vacation? My mom was actually not keen on the idea as she does not want to make her grand child work while on vacation. But I still brought it hoping that she will be able to find time to at least do one work sheets a day.

But she was only able to work on it in the plane on our way to New York and did not touch her Kumon worksheets after that. LOL. Well she was jet lag on our first few days and so she is asleep by at most 4 PM, then we are always on the go and of course she is drained already from the continuous travel.

But she was able to finish all her worksheets for May when we came back here in Manila. Thanks to the lola, who took time to assist Bela as she does her worksheets everyday.

Bela will be going back to Kumon starting Thursday next week and I am glad that she can submit all her May worksheet when she goes back.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Now that I have Bela and Cobi, I sometimes can’t help but worry about their future. Of course, as early as now my husband and I are already preparing for their future so no matter what happens to us, we are sure that she and Cobi will be secure.

I just became sentimental after reading from the news a personal injury case from someone in Texas. The victim lost his job because he can no longer work and so he can’t provide for the needs of his family and now the family is barely coping up.

Bela just loves animals and she would rather have an animal bag than those cute and girly Disney princesses bags that you can see in the mall. So when I saw this in Toys R’ Us in New York, I did not think twice in buying it so she has a new bag that she can use for the opening of class next week:

This is a Skip Hop bag which Bela loves so much. She has the mouse backpack and lunch bag last year and just look at how excited she is when she used it on her first day of class:

I ordered this one before online from the Skip Hop website. There are actually multiply sellers of this bag but their price is a little high compared to buying it online.) I also find the dog design cute and if Cobi is ready to go to school also, I might get him a Skip Hop bag also.

I am sure Bela will be thrilled to use her new Skip Hop penguin bag when she goes back to school on Tuesday.

This school year, Bela is an incoming Sr. Prep student already. Time really flies fast. I can still remember when I first have a glimpse of my princess, she was also born with a congenital heart disease but we are so lucky and thankful that she it is totally healed now.

I know the feeling of having your child suffer from a disease that is why I feel depressed when I read about kids’ who suffer from birth defects because of a drug called Topamax.

Topamax is a medicine use to cure migraine and epileptic patients but little did some expectant mothers know that this can pose a risk to their babies as it has side effects. Studies have proven that taking Topamax while pregnant can increase the risk of having birth defects such as cleft lip.

If you think you have a case, contact the lawyers of O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949 to help you get started in filing for a Topamax lawsuit.

I was chatting with my friends in Twitter about their kids' first day in school this week and that is only when I realized that Bela has no black shoes yet and I haven’t covered her notebook and books yet. Bad mommy. LOL.

You see, when we got back from our vacation, I got busy taking care of Cobi’s birthday party which is this coming 25th already so it totally slipped my mind that there are still some small details that I need to take care of for Bela’s school opening. LOL.

But at least I got her a new bag already, a new drinking cup and her white rubber shoes for PE. Hopefully, we can find a nice shoes (as it is difficult to look one for her size) this weekend so I can finally say that she is indeed ready for school opening this coming Tuesday (and she is just so excited already to see her teachers and classmates).

Since we arrived, she has a very weird sleeping pattern because of jet lag and so she would sleep late in the afternoon and will wake up around 2-3 AM and would stay awake probably until lunch time.

So one morning when she woke up:

Bela: “Mom, what is wrong with me. Why do I wake up so early.”Me: “Because you are still suffering from jet lag.”Bela: “What?”Me: “Because New York and Philippines have opposite time. So when it is morning in New York, it is sleeping time already in the Philippines so you are still adjusting.”Bela: “What?”

But I am still too sleepy to explain so we just went down to our living room to let her watch TV and play while I go back to sleep.

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Bela after waking up from a short nap one afternoon:

Bela: “Mom, why is it when I sleep it is morning and when I wake up it is still morning?”

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Bela after waking up at 3 AM.

Bela (crying): “Mom, why am I not in my PJs, I did not take a bath before I go to bed and I did not eat dinner.”

Friday, June 03, 2011

Being a network administrator for more than a decade now, I have seen and witness how complicated a network systems can be. One failure of even the smallest device on the network can create havoc and may cause downtime to the system. This downtime can lead to loss in income for a company as a lot of activities can’t be completed if a network is down.

That is why to maintain a system that has 24x7 availability; a good network monitoring tools should be use by the Information Technology department of any company. One networking monitoring tools that can be use to monitor any network infrastructure be it a physical, virtual or cloud infrastructure is LogicMonitor, the best network monitoring software available in the market today.

With LogicMonitor, an added hardware or additional staff is not necessary to monitor the network. The software will do all the work as it only needs the hostname and will automatically setup all the processes and thresholds that needs to be monitored to prevent any downtime. It has a lot of special features like VMware monitoring, SQL server monitoring and windows monitoring to name just a few. It also has alert and reporting features so proper authorities are alerted right away if there is any problem in the system.

No system is fool proof but with the help of these tools, less or zero downtime is possible.